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A Conversation with Naturopathic Midwife,
Tracy McDaniel, ND, LM On the many facets of childbirth and helping women have the birth they want. Interview by Matt Laughlin -- Fall 2009, Vol 5, Issue 17 -- Download the PDF 
UH (Unified Health): I had a
chance to speak with a close colleague
of yours who commented on
how tirelessly devoted you are to your
work as a naturopathic physician and
midwife. I got the impression that
despite the long hours and full schedule,
your work really uplifts you. What
inspired you to become a naturopath
to begin with, or was it midwifery that
first called to you?
TM (Tracy McDaniel, ND, LM): It was naturopathic medicine; I hadn't even considered midwifery, but the minute I heard about it I knew it was something I wanted to look into. I grew up with my Mom as a nurse and spent a lot of time in the medical world; I always liked that. A major influence was that I had a friend who had AIDS and I was his primary care person towards the end of college. Going through that with him really made me realize that if I was going to enter the medical world I wanted to do something very different. Mostly because that whole process for him was all about trying to control bugs, trying to suppress symptoms. I realized how his care was lacking depth. It lacked a holism and there was certainly no joy to it. That's something I can say now about my work as a naturopathic midwife; how much fun I have doing this. This work is truly joyful. Every time I see a little person arrive on the planet I think, wow, that is amazing! Even though I grew up in Seattle, I had never heard of Bastyr University until after I was in college. As soon as I started the ND program at Bastyr I heard about naturopathic midwifery. I was fortunate to start a preceptorship right away in my very first year of studies. UH: In midwifery? TM: First in naturopathic medicine, then in my third year I began doing births. I worked with Molly Linton, who is a well-known naturopath and licensed midwife. And she let me follow her around for five years. It was a really deep introduction into the field. UH: I have always been touched by the reverence midwives have for life. I understand you love to garden and spend time in nature. With all the differences in personalities or training is this reverence for life something you notice across the board? TM: I do. You know, it's funny you ask because I was thinking about this earlier. I love the concept in midwifery and naturopathic medicine that we are regenerative, instead of just falling apart. Our job in naturopathic family practice is to identify and remove the obstacles to this tendency toward wellness and regeneration. That's completely revolutionary in our world these days. Midwives certainly have faith in this principle as it applies to birth. We don't look at birth as a disaster waiting to happen, which is how it's often treated in modern obstetrical practice. Our continuing education is focused on understanding and supporting "physiologic birth", and learning how to confidently sit on our hands. Gather a group of midwives together and you'll have quite a group of gardeners and herbalists, and a good amount of knitting as well. UH: The full bloom of the maternal archetype... TM: Yes, exactly. UH: How do you go about integrating your naturopathic training with midwifery? I understand that in addition to being a naturopathic physician you underwent a training called naturopathic midwifery. What differentiates that from, say, a conventional midwife? TM: Well, depending on your state, there are a number of different routes to midwifery. Some people are nurses and then become nurse midwives, some go directly into midwifery and train at a midwifery school or by apprenticeship before passing a licensing exam. In Washington state these are licensed midwives. There are a few who practice without licenses and are referred to as lay midwives. Naturopathic midwives have two licenses, both as naturopathic physicians and licensed midwives. Our training in the basics of caring for a pregnant woman is similar. The difference is really in the modalities we use and the integration of our naturopathic skills for the rest of a woman's process. A woman having a baby is not just a pregnant woman. She is a woman having a baby, so there is her entire self to care for. We do a lot of education, talk about diet, stress management and things like that; if she has a yeast infection or urinary infection, that's something I am able to treat her for myself, instead of referring her out. UH: I understand you are very dedicated to helping the parents you work with make the most educated choices possible with regard to their entire birth process - from prenatal care and labor to postpartum/pediatric care. How is this so central to your work? What are some of the challenges you face in being an impartial advocate for your patient's 'right to choose'? Is that a clear question? TM: The question is clear. The answer is a bit complicated. I have always been pro-choice whether it comes to women's reproductive health or pretty much anything else that affects our selves or our families. In general, I think such choices should be supported rather than dictated or controlled by others. It's so interesting to watch what has happened with health care in our community. You walk with somebody into a hospital and the most opinionated, strong and articulate people you have ever met just hand over their authority. It's really quite an institution we have created. And I do'’t think it has been done to us; I think we have done it. In our culture we have created this place where we go and we want to be fixed. I believe that birth does not belong in that context. There are definitely times that birth needs to happen in a hospital with skilled obstetricians and all the equipment. That is definitely true. But I don't know that there is ever a time where it's helpful to give over our power in the way I described. That's the passion I have about this. The challenge is how to walk that line and have great relationships with consulting doctors who I interact with all the time on a regular basis and at the same time help families know they can take time to make decisions; they can say no to things they don't want to have done to them. Striking that balance is an ongoing challenge in the midwifery world and in my practice. RETURN HOME from our interview with naturopathic midwife, Tracy McDaniel, ND, LM |
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